Reminiscence of the Bloodied Leaves
by ninjatshadowcat
Summary: Kazama Kaede, a pure-blooded oni, had escaped with the British army one night in order to avenge for the rightful heir of her clan. However, fate had her unexpectedly killed in an ambush. Now, she awoke unsure if she should be more surprised that she was alive in the Shinsengumi headquarters, or if her saviour was the splitting image of the very person she once called, "Mother."


**Reminiscence of Bloodied Leaves**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hakouki or any of its characters.**

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**Chapter 1**

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It was another cold winter.

Yukimura Chizuru stood at the entrance of the Shinsengumi headquarters. Though it was her first few months at the headquarters, she wasn't surprised that it was yet another year of snow, freezing the prosperous lands throughout the country. She never liked the winter season, mostly due to her inability to walk very well on the icy floor. And the last thing she needed was for the men to watch her sprawling on the floor or clumsily fall face first into the snow, and then offer their help after a decent laugh. However, she still held responsibilities as a member of the Shinsengumi, whether it's bringing water from the frozen well, or joining with the daily patrols of the Shinsengumi.

_And there's still Father I have to search for, _Chizuru frowned, the crystalized view of the town was losing its natural beauty. Even though the Shinsengumi treated her as more than an acquaintance after the Kinmon Incident, she still couldn't be too comfortable around them. Even if they did protect her several times, she could never cross that invisible line when she's dealing with Shinsengumi matters. The consequences that would send her to death were rare, but following protocol and rules will probably be more important than protecting an insignificant girl like her. Realizing the brutal reality, she shuddered.

Suddenly, she sneezed. Chizuru sniffed and gently rubbed her nose. The cold weather was beginning to get on her nerves, but at the same time, she was grateful for it. Recently, the rumor of another war was beginning to spread rapidly throughout the Shinsengumi quarters. Everyone were roused as they immediately began to prepare for the upcoming war right after their previous battle was fought, leaving them fatigued and anxious. Now that the first snow arrived, the men finally seemed to be able to rest in peace. Whether there was soon to be a war or not, Chizuru knew that the enemy would never attack in such a harsh weather, which will lead to unnecessary casualties on both ends. Once the few blizzard days passed, she was sure that chaos would resurface.

_Maybe I should wait for Nagakura-san and Harada-san inside, _Chizuru thought, blowing onto her hands before rubbing them together urgently. _I believe that the last thing the Shinsengumi needs is to care for an ill girl. I should try to prepare them with some warm tea when they get back. Yes – that's it. And I bet the Hijikata-san and everyone else would like some too. Then I should tend to Okita-san and Heisuke-kun. Heisuke-kun could be inevitably stubborn at times, especially when he takes his medicine. _

With that thought in mind, the young woman began to tread back towards the main building through the endlessly layering snow. Her feet sank clumsily into the sheets of snow, but she made progress nonetheless. Unexpectedly, she heard the crunching sound of snow behind her. _Who could be here at this time? New recruits? But it would be most unlikely for them to climb all this way in this weather…_

"Chizuru!"

Upon hearing the voices of her familiar comrades reach her ears, she glanced back without hesitation. As two shadowy figures became visibly clear to her, she locked gazes briefly with a certain red-headed squad captain, before she noticed that there was someone dangling lifelessly on the shoulder of the other bulky figure. As that certain pale, blonde haired individual came into view, Chizuru gasped, her right hand clasped over her mouth as she fell to the floor.

_N-No w-way…it's him! _Chizuru panicked in fear and shock as her eyes widened to an extent and a trickle of sweat crept down her cheek, despite the abnormally cold weather.

Chizuru knew that there was no mistake. That bloodied, half-torn figure was definitely the arrogant, yet unusually skilled and strong man who was present at the Shinsengumi's last battle. Though she only met him briefly once, she knew exactly what he looked like. His face itself was embedded in her darkest dreams and she could seemingly sense his dark aurora often surround her helpless form at nights. _H-He almost killed Okita-san!_

Forcing herself to remain calm, she took in his appearance once more, realizing that some – no, _many_ of the details were altered. The figure in front of her had a much slimmer and smaller build, providing him with a much less intimidating appearance. In fact, it appears that he was actually around her age. He also wore an exotic outfit that Chizuru has never seen before, a soot black Western, high-collared uniform with gold buttons and chains adorning the left side along his chest, and matching dark trousers tucked neatly in knee-high, leather boots. His pure, white gloves are now a crimson color, marking the spilling of some blood. Chizuru then noticed that beneath the cropped, chin-length pale-blonde hair was a blood-stained, thick strand of blond hair tied in a long braid, reaching his lower back.

"Oi, Chizuru!"

Chizuru snapped out of examining the young man and turned her attention to Harada, who was grabbing tightly to her shoulders, he hands tightening anxiously with worry marked across his face.

"Chizuru, what's wrong?! We didn't mean to scare you, really!"

Chizuru merely smiled, the color returning to her face. "Harada-san…it's not that – "

"Do you know this man, Chizuru-chan?" Shinpachi rushed over with the unconscious body over his shoulder. "Did he–did he do something to you?!"

Even though the young man was a splitting image of the man with blood-red eyes, something in Chizuru's heart told her that the boy was not the warrior who haunts her dreams. She hesitated on deciding how to explain the situation to Shinpachi, who has not yet seen the enemy warrior to notice the striking resemblance. However, if they wouldn't find the connection, then there wasn't any need to try to hide anything in front of these men.

Finally, she settled with a gentle smile. "I'm alright. I simply slipped again. You know how clumsy I could be at times."

Sighing with relief, Shinpachi relaxed the tension in his shoulders while Harada managed a light chuckle, taking Chizuru's tiny, frost-cold hands in his and raised her to her feet. Reading from the situation, it seemed clear to Chizuru that the two men easily bought her lie.

"You really should take better care of yourself," Harada smiled, bringing Chizuru's hands higher towards his mouth, tenderly blowing onto them and surprising the girl. "After all, you shouldn't be out here waiting for us. Watching you suffer in the cold is not what we want to see from our return."

Noticing that her cheeks were tinted with a sudden shade of red, concern crossed the spearman's face. "Chizuru…are you not feeling well?" To emphasize his concern, the man gently brushed Chizuru's long, dark bangs to the back of her ear, before placing the back of his hand to the girl's forehead. The gentle caress of Harada's hand caused Chizuru to flush even more, her eyes widening slightly as she stared into his pure, golden orbs.

"H-Harada-san…."

"Hey, Sano! Why is it that you get to flirt with Chizuru-chan while_ I_ have to get stuck with _him_?" Shinpachi protested exasperatingly, sticking his thumb out to the small baggage on his back. "We find a dying kid in strange clothes on our road back, and you just do the easy work while I had to carry him back."

Realizing that it was more than odd for the Shinsengumi captains to bring in a stranger, especially one who wears such strange clothes, Chizuru asked, "Um…Nagakura-san and Harada-san…why did you two bring him to the headquarters?"

Shinpachi blinked for a moment too long, and replied, "Oh, that's right. It was on our way back when we bumped into this boy. Judging from the direction he was walking from, he was walking from the route from the temple. But he seemed to be severely injured and began to stumble when we finally got to him."

"He did wear strange clothes, which could mean that he wasn't from this town. Normally, it would be unwise to take in a foreigner, which could potentially evolve into a problem for the Shinsengumi," Harada added. "However, when Shinpachi tried to talk to him, the boy was completely ignorant of him. He kept mumbling strange, slurred words that we can't seem to understand, but his eyes were focused forward, determined and steadfast. I don't know why, but for a split second, I swore I saw the cunning eyes of a warrior. So I decided that we should bring him here after he fell unconscious, regardless if he's a foreigner or a man from the enemy's land. In his current state, we could extract information from him after he awakes. That's if, he _could_ awake."

Picking up the hint in Harada's words, Chizuru's honey-brown eyes lowered to the young man's chest, where blood had seeped out of the uniform, now forming a dried crust on the surface. Gasping, she found the worry and desperation in her voice returning. "Nagakura-san, I'll need you to quickly take him to an available room. If a major internal organ is damaged, he may be beyond anything we could do to aid him. Yamazaki-san and I will bring new bandages and some sake to try to clean the wound. But for now, all we could do hope that his wound could mend by itself."

Nodding, Shinpachi and Harada followed the young woman in men's attire across the Shinsengumi's small courtyard towards the men's quarters, the snow burying the existence of the footprints they left behind. Disrupting the silence around them, Harada said, "Chizuru. If you are the one treating him, we may have to put him in a captain's quarter near you. It would be trouble having you tend to him in an enclosed area with our regular soldiers."

"You're right, Harada-san," the girl with dark brown hair brightened, a grateful smile crossed her lips. "It would be much better for him to heal in a comfortable area without catching more flus, which could possibly destroy his only chance of survival. But do you know if there's a vacant room that Hijikata-san will let us use?"

"You don't have to mind him that much, Chizuru," the red-haired man chuckled lightly, amusement present in his teasing, golden eyes. "As for your question, I do remember that there was a room was used occasionally for storing rice during the winter. I think that room was…beside Souji's room."

Chizuru paused. _This is bad. Okita-san…if he sees this boy, he will misunderstand for sure…_

"Chizuru-chan," Shinpachi questioned, noticing that the young woman seemed to pause, her hand tightly clutching the edge of her hakama as a crease formed between her eyebrows slightly with worry. "Is there something wrong?"

Chizuru immediately resumed her pace, her footsteps rushed and unsteady. Forcing another reassuring smile, she replied, "N-Nothing's wrong, Nagakura-san." _After all, Okita-san will understand when I explain to him. No matter how similar the boy looked like that man, there is no way they are the same person. Just what am I thinking? For Okita-san to attack anyone who is severely, mortally injured is unlike him. Saving the boy's life is our main priority now, so any worries will have to wait for later._

Soon, the men managed to make their way through the men's quarters. Turning a corner, Chizuru noticed that the nearest door was, in fact, Okita's room. The room was deadly quiet. Chizuru was curious how the ill swordsman was feeling, so she paused for a quick moment, listening intently while trying to catch the sound of his voice. To her dismay, her ears were answered with a fit of hoarse coughs, followed by continuous wheezing.

From the corner of his eye, the muscular, red-haired spearman frowned slightly. "Souji will be feeling better soon. Maybe the cold is beginning to get to him too. However, I'm sure that a warm cup of tea will do him some good after you take care of this kid first."

Nodding, Chizuru walked to the door that was slightly narrower than the other quarters. As Shinpachi opened the door for them, Chizuru coughed as a layer of dust was swept from the floor by the tremendous wind from outside. Shinpachi pinched his nose, muttering how much the room smells, before gently swinging the figure across his shoulder onto the floor. Noticing that there was luckily a futon resting against a wall, Harada impatiently patted the dust off the plain, gray futon before setting it down for the blonde-haired boy to use. Shinpachi set the young man onto the futon, tugged off his black, leather boots, and threw them carelessly to the side. Moving to the formal, black uniform, Shinpachi began to force his fingers with the job of undoing the golden buttons, which seemingly refused to cooperate with his fingers.

As she watched her comrade fuss over the delicate and ornate buttons, Chizuru couldn't help but smile. Placing her own hands along the buttons of the uniform, she politely asked, "Nakagura-san…do you mind explaining to Hijikata-san about your patrol today? I'm sure he's worried that two of his captains haven't reported yet. I'll be sure to take care of everything here."

Shinpachi nodded, giving up on doing the impossible for his fingers. Just as he turned to exit the room, Harada cleared his throat. "I believe Shinpachi shouldn't be the one to report the patrol and incident to the vice commander."

"Eh?! What do you mean, Sano?" Shinpachi asked, irritated.

"I should head out to Hijikata-san," Harada explained, rising to his feet. "You see, I'm usually quite useful when it comes to explanations and negotiations. Sending that big mouth of yours to the vice-commander may cause unnecessary trouble."

"What did you say, Sano?!" Shinpachi gritted his teeth, a vein popping slightly on his forehead. "Are you telling me that I am incapable of even reporting a daily patrol?!"

Ignoring his bickering friend, Harada faced Chizuru, his expression suddenly serious, and said, "Please take good care of that kid."

"Hai!" Chizuru answered, determination marked in her large, doe-eyed eyes. "Please leave it to me." With that, a small smile formed on Harada's lips as he took his leave.

"Hey, Sano!" Shinpachi called, rushing behind the red-haired spearman, clearing unsatisfied with his decision. "Chizuru-chan asked _me_ to report to Hijikata, so you should – "

"Um, Nagakura-san," Chizuru tried to sound apologetic as possible, knowing what a mistake it could've been sending Shinpachi to persuade Hijikata to provide a stranger with hospitality in their own headquarters. "Is it alright if you could acquire for Yamazaki-san's assistance instead?"

Without hesitation, Shinpachi retreated his steps and grinned. "Sure thing, Chizuru-chan! I'll check at his room."

"And do you mind asking him to bring a new set of bandages and sake? I'll check the patient's wounds first, but I may need Yamazaki-san's assistance too," Chizuru added, her fingers skillfully began to unbutton the line of buttons on the uniform.

"Alright Chizuru. Please take care of things here for now." With a confirming nod of gratitude from Chizuru, Shinpachi headed towards one direction, his footstep echoing on the wooden panels.

Sighing, Chizuru continued to work her way through the buttons, until the uniform was wide open, revealing clay-red blood splattered on thick layers of bandages. She eyed it strangely, finding it odd to see that the injury was one that was already taken care of, yet there was still blood splayed across the material. However, the worry in her heart also dropped a bit, slightly relieved that the wound may have already mended. However, she wasn't certain if the wound itself was in the process of mending, or if he had already lost too much blood.

Chizuru frowned, trying to decide if she should check the wound before Yamazaki brought the bandages. Deciding that even if it would take a while for Yamazaki to return, she should analyze how they should treat the wound immediately first. Reaching forward, Chizuru's right hand made contact with the boy's pale, cool skin as her index finger hooked to the edge of the first layer of bandages. As she tugged on it, she noticed how tight it had been wrapped around the boy's pale, slender body. _This is horrible. The bandages were tied so tight the boy couldn't allow his blood to even flow freely, forcing the stop of blood throughout his entire body. The least I could do is probably releasing the tension around his chest, allowing him some comfort for his body._

The young woman's fingers twisted into the bandages while her other hand held the boy down with her palm. After a sudden tug of the material, the first layer finally came off. Chizuru panted, seeing the swollen mark on her fingers, only to sigh in embarrassment when she noticed that the bandages were connected together with a series of knots. Carefully folding those bandages, she made sure that the blood wouldn't stain the futon too.

Directing her attention back to the continuation of unraveling the layers of bandages, she noticed that the second layer of bandages was a long, whole piece. However, there was a nasty, reddened mark across the right side of his bandaged chest, where he was possibly injured. Sighing with disappointment, the last of her hope leaving her, Chizuru realized that if the young stranger's internal organ was destroyed, saving him was futile from the beginning.

Slumping with her head down, Chizuru began to wonder how she should tell the others that the rescued foreigner was now a mere corpse, his body now empty…and just dead. However, she had to make sure that he, no doubt, was dead. With that little spark of hope, Chizuru lifted the skinny, pale arm of boy and placed her index finger against a vein, checking for a pulse. A moment was all Chizuru needed to know if the boy is alive. After pressing in a bit more, she could feel a faint, almost mistakable pulse beat beneath her figure tip. Wiping the sweat across her forehead, Chizuru smiled, glad that there was still hope.

Returning her gaze back to the bandages, which must've concealed a hideous gash across the blonde-haired boy's chest, the brown-haired girl narrowed her eyes in thought, suddenly noticing that something didn't connect. Since the bandages were ripped open and simultaneously stained with his blood, it could only mean that boy was injured or attacked _after_ he had those layers of bandages on. _I don't get it. If he wasn't hurt at first, then why does he need those bandages? Unless…_

As realization hit Chizuru, her arms unconsciously surrounded her own chest, her eyes widening as they scanned across the boy – no, _girl_, taking in the image of her completely. As the Shinsengumi's page tried to imagine the stranger as a female, she noticed that there were female hints that were well hidden beneath her masculine appearance.

First, she wasn't at all muscular, with soft, clear pale skin that covered her delicate skin. She also had elegant features, such as high cheekbones, small, thin lips, and perfectly arched eyebrows that were partially concealed by her sleek, blonde bangs. However, taking in her face as a whole brought a familiar loathing feeling to Chizuru, causing her to cringe at the sight of the girl in a soldier's attire. Even though Chizuru has confirmed that the foreigner was definitely a woman, she couldn't help but somehow _know_ that the woman was perhaps a relative of the warrior who forced Souji to his knees.

_Anyways, it'll be great trouble if the others discover that she's female, now that I know she was trying to hide that identity. If only I wasn't here…it would be certainly amusing to watch the others trying to deal with her. Heisuke-kun will probably stare and shout in embarrassment, Harada-san and Okita-san will probably gape and Hijikata-san and Saito-san…I wonder if that's the weakness to their intimidating atmosphere. _Chizuru mused as she continued to unravel the bandage, before the tips of her smile dropped. _What am I thinking? The Shinsengumi are warriors who are true to their words, not dogs that fawn over a piece of prey. But I wonder if Nagakura-san will frighten her…_

Chizuru felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she noticed the unmistakable curves that were beginning to show more skin than they should, now that most of the bandages were shed. Embarrassed, she tried grabbing for the nearby covers, only to realize that there was no cover with the futon. What surprised her though was that there were no marks or streaks of blood on the young woman's pale chest. But Chizuru was sure that the bloodied bandages were more than enough evidence that the young woman was terribly hurt. Yet…she did not find any significant marks.

_Maybe if I unwrap everything, I'll be able to see the injury. But…it's indecent, isn't it? That doesn't matter now. I-It's fine, right? We're both girls, so she'll probably understand that I just have to see her wound before – _

"Yukimura-kun, did you acquire for my assistance?"

Gasping, Chizuru's fingers fidgeted, quickly overlapping the opening edges of the uniform. The young man standing outside the doorway waited patiently for an answer, but he only heard a seemingly panicked squeal of surprise, before the room became dead silent.

"Yukimura-kun? I'm coming in –"

His words were stopped as the door frames were slammed to the side, the intensity of the force stunning him as he was face-to-face with the brown-haired girl. Suddenly aware of her actions, Chizuru dipped her head slightly, appearing apologetic. "S-Sorry about that, Yamazaki-san."

Yamazaki was taken aback at Chizuru's sudden appearance, but he was quick to regain his usual composure. "Yukimura-kun. Is the patient inside?"

"Y-Yes," Chizuru managed uneasily, as she realized that it would be a major mistake if the messenger checks on the patient now. "But…he isn't horribly injured."

Yamazaki tried peering over Chizuru's head, but his view was only block from where he stood. "So you don't need my assistance?" he asked, taking a step to the right.

"Yes, that's right – I-I mean…of course I need your assistance, Yamazaki-san! I think he fainted from blood loss, but his life isn't apparently in any danger…so…" Chizuru answered, unconsciously matching her movement with Yamazaki's, continuously blocking the stranger from his eyes.

"Even so, it would be good to check," Yamazaki continued, shuffling his feet to the left, only to have Chizuru follow his movements. "I brought necessary supplies that would be helpful even if the patient isn't severely injured. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Y-Yes, of course…"

Yamazaki raised an eyebrow, while Chizuru's face reddened from embarrassment. "I-I mean…no, of course not! I don't mind, but…"

Yamazaki's amethyst eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Yukimura-kun…are you perhaps…hiding something?"

Chizuru's large eyes widened further in surprise, while shaking her head innocently. "I-It's just that…I've check him already, and the blood on his jacket isn't his own blood. So there isn't anything to worry about aside from the fact that he's still unconscious. I could take care of him now I know his life isn't in danger."

Yamazaki stared incredulously at the young woman, not believing her explanations. But instead of questioning any further, he surprised Chizuru, sighing before taking a step back. He had never seen her act in such a way before, and everyone at the headquarters could probably also see through her lie with ease. However, he knew that there must've been a reason that motivated her actions, so being the considerate person that he was, he gave a small nod and made his way back to his room.

"Do find me if you need my assistance, Yukimura-kun."

"Hai!" Chizuru answered firmly, thankful that it was Yamazaki she was dealing with. _If it was anyone else…they wouldn't take "no" for an answer. _

Noticing the tray of folded bandages and sake, along with some tea bags and two cups of newly brewed tea, Chizuru smiled fondly at the messenger's actions. _Thank you, Yamazaki-san. _

Bringing in the supplies, she slid the door shut and turned to face the patient. However, to her surprise, the pale, blonde-haired foreigner has turned her head to the side, away from the other female in the room. Chizuru thought of approaching the teen, but she hesitated, realizing that perhaps the other figure wished to be left alone for the time being. Leaving the other female to herself, Chizuru brought the tray to the side of the laying figure.

"The bandages are here if you want to put on new ones. There's also tea, so you should drink something warm before it turns cold," Chizuru explained politely, hoping that the quiet figure would hear her. "A-And…I'm sorry about earlier…you know. I hope you weren't offended."

With that, she gradually got to her feet. _I should be preparing lunch and tea for the others. I don't think she'll escape, but even if she tries to, I don't think she will make it far in the snow. When I get back, I should bring some warmer covers too._

Glancing one more time at the lone figure, Chizuru realized that she should probably pay a visit to Souji with a warm cup of tea first. Carefully holding a cup from the tray, she gave the young woman one last, reassuring look before making her way out the room.

-oOo-

Unbeknown to Chizuru, the mysteriously-found young woman opened her eyes, revealing honey-brown orbs as she stared into the darkness of the room. Her heart ached much more than the moment she found herself escaping as a British soldier to avenge for the rightful heir of her clan, only to be pierced by a bullet in the heart. Even though she could barely feel the ceasing throb in throughout her entire body, she found herself unable to hold back the true pain. To once again see that face. That unmistakable face of the one she adored and the one who doted upon her. Yet, she was also the one who had abandoned her, crushing the blissful memories of the family she once knew.

She didn't even notice the glistening, clear trails of tears that crept down her face, wetting the dusty futon she laid on. Shutting her eyes close, she internally scolded herself, laughing at her own pitiful state of crying for a mere human that could never possibly be that one she had loved and hated, even if she wished she was. However, her tears continued to fall and there was nothing she could do about it. For the first time, she felt…relieved to cry. There was no one to scorn her of doing so, and she felt too ashamed herself to care anymore. As she let her soft sobs calm her shaking form, she felt her consciousness return to the quiet, black solitude in the back of her mind.

_M-Mother…w-why…_

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**A/N: So that's the end of my first chapter for this fic. It took me quite a while to write this, and now…I'm tired. I'm honestly not sure if this was a good idea or not and I'm also not sure if I'm keeping everyone in character. Honestly, writing a fic for Hakuouki was harder that I** **imagined. Anyways, please review and tell me how it is so far…and depending on that I'll see if I should continue this (since I still need to update my other two fics.) So PLEASE REVIEW!**


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